1. Field
The present invention relates to devices for repairing damaged pallets and, more particularly, to a single apparatus adapted to remove a damaged slat and eliminate the resulting nail stubble.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional wooden pallets have been utilized for many years in the cargo handling industry as a convenient means of storing and transporting a wide variety of merchandise. Such pallets typically consist of a plurality of longitudinal support stringers, usually three, bounded on the top and bottom by a plurality of transverse slats, and are frequently damaged in use. Continued use of a damaged pallet results in a distinct safety hazard, as a structurally unsound pallet may allow the merchandise stacked thereon to shift and/or fall, sometimes without any notice or warning. Accordingly, replacement of damaged pallets is a common occurrence.
Replacement of a pallet typically consists of either scrapping the damaged pallet and purchasing a new one in its place, or repairing the damaged pallet. In recent years, as rising material costs have created a greater concern to large volume users of pallets, repairing damaged pallets has become an increasingly attractive option. A number of devices have been designed and marketed to facilitate the disassembly, or partial disassembly, and repair of damaged pallets.
It is estimated that in 80% of the damaged pallets, only the end slat or slats need be replaced. On an individual basis, repair is a simple operation, requiring only removal and replacement of the damaged slat (or slats). In practice, however, this operation is painfully labor intensive, particularly on a high volume. Once the damaged slat is removed, the exposed broken nails and/or nail heads, commonly referred to as "nail stubble" must be removed so that another slat may be secured in place of the damaged slat.
The following U.S. patents disclose various apparatus for disassembling wooden pallets: U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,242, issued May 19, 1970 to Harvis; U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,815, issued Jun. 26, 1973 to Campbell, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,846,890, issued Nov. 12, 1974 to Bielkiewicz; U.S. Pat. No. 3,869,783, issued Mar. 11, 1975 to Spencer; U.S. Pat No. 3,875,643, issued Apr. 8, 1975 to Cramer; U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,816, issued Aug. 19, 1979 to Jennings; U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,498, issued Nov. 4, 1975 to Lopez, et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,459, issued Nov. 16, 1976 to Rapp; U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,098, issued May 16, 1978 to DeMarco; U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,578, issued Sep. 12, 1978 to Sanford; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,110, issued Aug. 25, 1981 to Fagre, Jr. While these patents disclose a wide variety of methods and apparatus for disassembling pallets, none of these references addresses the problem of nail stubble which must be eliminated prior to the replacement of a removed, damaged slat.
With the numerous slat removal methods and apparatus disclosed in the above cited patents, the process of eliminating nail stubble has become one of the most time consuming and, therefore, costly steps in the entire repairing/refurbishing process. Typically, nail stubble is removed manually by a plurality of operators using hammers to flatten the nails against the stringers. Accordingly, a need has been recognized in the industry for an apparatus to minimize the time consumed in nail stubble elimination. More particularly, a need has arisen for an apparatus which will enable one operator to remove a damaged slat and eliminate nail stubble at a single work station in a minimum amount of time.